Flight
by KiwiKugai
Summary: A short AU Pern Tale with an interesting twist at the end. My first ever Pern FanFic. Hope ypu like it.


I don't own Pern. Pern and it's many and varied characters and situations are the property of Anne McCaffrey . I'm just a fan with a wee small story set on that World.

**FLIGHT**

She lifted her head and screeched her challenge. Two wills fought, but in the end, she acquiesced to her riders will and lowered her head to blood her kill.

The green raised her head up, eyes whirling red to take in the seven Dragons that lined the Weyr bowl. Five blues and two browns waited for her to rise, not a great number, but then, with Threadfall this day, it was unsurprising. She leapt, landing on another Herdbeast, snapping its neck as she brought it down and, now obedient to her riders wishes, again blooded the kill. She lifted her head again to take in the males that waited for her to fly, then with a swiftness that caught all of them by surprise, she launched her lithe form skyward. They scrambled to follow as her wings beat strongly. Her first mating flight had begun.

Climbing high, she then turned her head to take them in as they climbed to follow. Surprisingly, one of them already seemed to have fallen away, as she saw only two browns and four blues closing with her, the browns in the lead. She beat upwards, revelling in the freedom of this flight. She was two individuals at this moment, both Airiath the green, and Lei, her rider, reviling in this, her first mating flight, ecstatic, yet somewhat frightened.

She swivelled her head as she heard a trumpet behind her and saw one of the browns was falling away. Drenth, she realised, unsurprised. He was barely recovered from the scoring he had taken three falls ago, and as she watched, he spiralled away spent, heading down and back to the Weyr. She now levelled out and slowed slightly as she manoeuvred towards a Thermal she saw ahead of her, allowing her escort to close, teasing them.

She swung towards and under the remaining brown, Solth, before beating up and rising with the thermal. She liked the older brown, one of her Wingmates, and his rider T'ley. He was friendly and had been helpful to both rider and Dragon as they had become active in the Wing less than two months ago. One of the other blues, an older beast, dropped out of the flight exhausted. She beat away from the remaining brown and two blues, passing through a small cloud.

The blue appeared from nowhere, and she had no time to react as he caught her. Recognition was instantaneous even as he caught her, Kolth! She realised he must have headed for the Thermal straight off, hoping she would use it. A daring move, but one that had paid dividends as he caught her, and in the final analysis, she realised that it had been no real contest as she had been caught by the one Dragon she had wanted to catch her. Necks entwined she gave no resistance.

Lei was back in her mind. She realised she was naked, with the arms of Kolth's rider around her, as naked as she was. For a moment confusion reigned in her thoughts before the older rider spoke.

"Control Lei, control! Stay with her!"

She rejoined her Dragon's mind, letting Airiath's own desires mingle with her own, then … With a cry she was once again back in her mind, clinging tightly to the form of Kolth's rider, her slender form slick with sweat.

A dry, throaty chuckle issued from the one who held her, whom she clung to, her body trembling somewhat exhausted from the Flight. Two years older than herself, Kolth's rider was also her friend and someone, she now allowed herself to accept, she had had feelings for even before she had Impressed Airiath. The blue's rider gently but firmly held her.

"You," Lei swallowed, "You and Kolth are a pair!"

"As clever and as devious as each other huh?"

Lei raised her head, smiling at the shared joke. "I guess I had no chance at all, did I?"

"None at all!"

She really hadn't wanted any, her Dragon knew her mind just as much as she. She raised her hand and stroked back the strand of hair that had fallen into her lover's eyes. "What now?"

"Now my dear Lei, we bring them home"

Sighing, she rested her head on Kalina's shoulder, knowing that this was what both she and the blue rider has wanted. She tightened her arms round the woman's waist contentedly.


End file.
